Simply put, people who suffer from Raynaud’s phenomenon don't circulate enough blood to the extremities, resulting in extremely cold and numb feet and hands. It comes and goes, so the results are never around for long, making it more of a nuisance disease than a disabling one. Scientist Maurice Raynaud discovered the condition that bears his name in 1862.
There isn’t a known cause for Raynaud’s phenomenon, but researchers believe it is usually part of an underlying disease like scleroderma, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or atherosclerosis. Some believe it’s caused by certain medications, habits like smoking or experiencing frostbite. One theory holds that those who constantly use vibrating power tools can acquire the condition.
Most of the time, Reynaud’s is triggered by coming into contact with cold conditions. Those who have the disease are subject to the body restricting blood flow to the skin instead of opening the blood vessels to the inside parts of the body to keep them warm. Stress can worsen the condition.
It’s believed that 3 to 5 percent of the world’s population has Raynaud’s phenomenon. If you narrow it down to groups most likely to experience it, like women ages 15 to 40, Raynaud’s may affect as many as 15 percent of that group. Most of them have primary Raynaud’s, which means there’s no cause like lupus. The rest are considered secondary Raynaud’s subjects, in which the symptoms are just a part of the other aforementioned diseases.
Symptoms of Raynaud's
Raynaud’s phenomenon sufferers will feel extreme cold in their extremities, which sometimes turn white or blue during an attack. Gradually, as blood flow resumes, the extremities will turn red, and sufferers will feel pain. In some cases, the ears and nose may experience an attack.
Raynaud’s can strike people at any age, but most acquire the condition before the age of 30, and most of the victims are women. Those who live in colder climates are more susceptible.
It’s easy to ignore or dismiss Raynaud’s phenomenon, which is why it doesn’t get a lot of recognition. Pople are not likely to rush to the doctor with the condition, particularly if it goes away quickly. It’s only noticed when treatment for underlying diseases occurs.
Why Women?
Because women have more estrogen in their bodies, it’s believed to be an underlying trigger for Raynaud’s. A Boston research paper revealed that women who had undergone estrogen treatments reported more incidents resembling Raynaud’s phenomenon. There are likely genetic reasons for the disease’s appearance as well because it tends to run in families.
As far back as 1930, women were believed to suffer more from Raynaud’s phenomenon because they were believed to be more stressed and anxious than their male counterparts. Thus, they were more likely to have their hormones give signals to the blood vessels and cause Raynaud’s. That theory has since been disproven.
What is likely the cause is that skin has nerve fibers that sense temperature, and the fibers differ among various people. The thermoregulatory vessels may be damaged in some people, thus causing the Raynaud’s syndrome.
If You Have Raynaud's
Those who are bothered by the symptoms of Raynaud’s phenomenon will have to undergo tests that will determine whether they have the primary or secondary form of the disease. The tests used to take observations of several years, but now nail fold capillary tests and blood tests, coupled with the patient's age, can predictably determine Raynaud’s phenomenon.
In one prominent Canadian study that was later published in the medical journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, 600 people believed to have a connective tissue disease or scleroderma were followed for 15 years. That research was the basis for the nail folds discovery. Those who have nail fold abnormalities went on to develop a disease like lupus or scleroderma. Those who had normal nail folds but still had Raynaud’s phenomenon were primary patients and did not develop the secondary diseases.
Most people who have primary Raynaud’s phenomenon and no secondary diseases will just live with the condition. Some may treat the disorder with drugs, most of them with off-label uses of other drugs like nifedipine (Procardia), which is used for blood pressure control. These medications can help reduce the number and severity of Raynaud’s phenomenon attacks, and thus are used sometimes in patients who are bothered by a severe form.
In an interesting recent development, drugs like Viagra and Cialis, which are used for erectile dysfunction, have been found to have uses for patients with secondary Raynaud’s phenomenon experiences. And some have even found benefit from Botox injections.
Some people opt for surgery when suffering fromm severe Raynaud’s phenomenon that does not respond to medication. This procedure cuts the sympathetic nerves that travel to the blood vessel in the digits involved, thus severing the brain’s message to the muscle cell and digital blood vessel receptor. Because there are some nerves left, there may still be minor effects, but the cold no longer will trigger major disruptions.
Obviously, the best treatment for Raynaud’s phenomenon is to stay as warm as possible. If moving to a warmer climate isn’t possible, then scarves, layered clothing, hats and other gear will help keep the body as warm as possible. Stay away from refrigerators in supermarkets and butcher shops, keep the fireplace burning or use a space heater, and generally work hard to stay away from anything that lowers body temperature and potentially triggers Raynaud’s phenomenon. Here’s looking at you, kid. Hope you can stay warm.